Windows 7 Universal Installation Disc - Create

How to Create a Windows 7 Universal Installation Disc​

Introduction

For Windows users who installed or upgraded Windows Vista, there is one big difference that will be immediately noticed when installing or upgrading to Windows 7: The Windows 7 installation wizard no longer prompts, or asks, for the user to select which edition of the operating system to install. Instead, each Windows 7 DVD disc will automatically install the specific edition which it’s limited to. So a Windows 7 Home Premium disc will only install Windows 7 HP, a Pro disc will only install Pro, etc.

Although Microsoft does not provide any such universal Windows 7 installation media, the function is indeed feasible. (see Screenshot below) A disc such as this can be especially helpful to PC technicians, IT staff, and the like who need to reinstall Win7 frequently. Remember you will still need a valid license key specific to the version you are installing. In addition, Microsoft has eliminated the differences between the retail and OEM install discs with Windows 7, so this disc can be used to reinstall Win7 on PC’s where the owner has lost, or is unable to find, the OEM restore discs. In order to create such a disc; just delete and remove the ei.cfg from any Windows 7 ISO to convert that image into a universal disc for all editions of Windows 7.






STAGE 1 UNIVERSAL DVD - ALL 32 OR 64 BIT ON 1 DVD

For any user who has the Windows 7 install DVD or ISO and wishes to make a universal installer disc now there is an easier way to modify the ISO. Normally this was accomplished by manually unpacking and extracting the contents of the ISO image (or copying files from DVD to HDD), deleting the ei.cfg and then repacking the installation files back into an ISO to burn. Users can now eliminate these tedious procedures by making use of the “ei.cfg Removal Utility”.

The ei.cfg Removal Utility is a simple tool that will disable the ei.cfg from any Windows 7 ISO disc image, thereby converting the image into a “universal disc” that will prompt the user to select their preferred edition during setup. The ei.cfg Removal Utility works directly to patch the ISO image, by toggling the deletion bit in the UDF file table to instruct the operating system to ignore and remove ei.cfg, or treat it as if it does not exist. Best of all, the ei.cfg Removal Utility can reverse the patching to restore the ISO disc image to its original state when the tool is been used to apply on a disc image that previously been patched by the utility.

The ei.cfg Removal Utility is a standalone portable app, and requires no installation. In fact, the program does not have much of a user interface at all. Simply selecting the target Windows 7 ISO, and the disc image (ISO) will be patched right away. So make sure a backup copy of your ISO is created beforehand.

Download the ei.cfg Removal Utility here:eicfg_removal_utility.zip


STAGE 2 UNIVERSAL DVD - ALL 32 AND ALL 64 BIT ON 1 DVD

I was amazed at how easy it is to merge Win7 x86 and Win7 x64 editions (DVDs) in a single DVD or 4GB USB. The process is pretty simple, you need a copy of both any 32 bit and any 64 bit Windows 7 install DVD or ISO. Either copy the DVD's contents to a folder on a HDD, or extract the ISO's contents to a folder. Run 4 commands from the prompt, then create and burn your new Universal install DVD/USB.


Requirements:

1. WAIK (Windows Automation Installation Kit) Download WAIK
2. Windows Win7 x86 and Windows Win7 x64 DVDs.
3. An application that can extract the files from an ISO (if using a downloaded ISO). I use WinRAR, but many apps can do this extraction.
4. An application that allows you to build a new iso or create a bootable DVD/USB. I use UltraISO for this.
5. Single Layer DVD, compatible DVD Burner and, of course DVD burning software… or a 4GB USB flash drive.

We will merge the four Windows 7 x64 editions into the Win7 x86 DVD contents, because Win7 x64 DVD has 64-bit content that can’t run some of the Win32 installation components.


Getting Started


1. Install WAIK in your Windows (doesn’t matter you are running Win7 or Windows XP)

2. Make two folders, in my examples I use Win7_64 and Win7_32. Now copy both Windows 7 x64 and x86 DVDs contents into their respective folders. Or extract your downloaded ISO’s into their respective folder.

   Note

If copying files over from a DVD to the above folders, you actually only need the Sources\install.wim file from the Windows 7 x64 DVD.

3. Run WAIK command prompt (Run as Administrator if UAC enabled):
Start à All Programs àWindows AIK àWindows AIK and PE Command Prompt

4. Each and every Win7 edition has an index no. in the install.wim (WIM file), you can check using the following command:

Imagex/info G:\Win7_32\Sources\install.wim

   Note

Where G:\Win7_32 represents the location of your 32 bit DVD files

The results will look something like above.
This shows that INDEX=1 denotes Windows 7 Starter and so on… (you may have to scroll down to observe these entries)

5. We will use the Imagex /export command to move our x64 WIM entries into the x86 wim file.

   Note

The syntax for this command is:

   Note

imagex /export src_file src_number src_name dest_file dest_name

Now execute the following commands with appropriate INDEX no. to export a copy of the specified image to the Windows 7 32bit (x86) WIM file.

For Win7 Home Basic x64:

Imagex/export G:\Win7_64\Sources\install.wim 1 G:\Win7_32\Sources\install.wim "Windows 7 Home Basic (x64)"

For Win7 Home Premium x64:

Imagex/export G:\Win7_64\Sources\install.wim 2 G:\Win7_32\Sources\install.wim "Windows 7 Home Premium (x64)"

For Win7 Professional x64:

Imagex/export G:\Win7_64\Sources\install.wim 3 G:\Win7_32\Sources\install.wim "Windows 7 Professional (x64)"

For Win7 Ultimate x64:

Imagex /export G:\Win7_64\Sources\install.wim 4 G:\Win7_32\Sources\install.wim "Windows 7 Ultimate (x64)"

6. After execution of above commands Win7_32's WIM file will be the universal WIM file that contains all version of Win7. You can export only desired versions into the image. For example you could make a Win7 DVD, which includes Win7 Ultimate x86 and x64 version only.

7. Now to make bootable DVD image...

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Create a Windows 7 System Repair Disc
• How to Create a Windows 7 Installation USB Key
• How to Install Windows 7 from USB Pen Drive Using Grub4Dos
• How to Slipstream Windows 7 SP1 and Updates to Create a Bootable USB, Installation DVD, or ISO File

 

[SIW2]

You can do a repair install of the same edition and bit version you already have.

 

[Bigbillsd]

@SIW2. the install.wim file is 1.94 GB Even notepad ++ cannot open it. What am I looking for with that file?

 

[Britton30]

@SIW2. the install.wim file is 1.94 GB Even notepad ++ cannot open it. What am I looking for with that file?

Did you extract the iso? The extracted files will look like the files on a w7 DVD. If not run the removal tool from the tutorial on the iso.

 

[SIW2]

You need a program that can open .iso and .wim format. Notepad++ can't do that.

7-zip is the answer Download

 

[zapp22]

just a quick question as this is my first pass at this: early on in the tutorial re: copying/extracting iso files, is this note:
Note
If copying files over from a DVD to the above folders, you actually only need the Sources\install.wim file from the Windows 7 x64 DVD.

are you saying just copy the "Sources" folder and nothing at all else from x64 ?

 

[Brink]

Hello Claude,

It's saying that you would only need to copy the install.wim file from the Sources folder instead.

 

[zapp22]

thanks for that. all done with the export step but...
I feel really dumb here... as best I've found so far, the last lines in your 'Tutorial' read:
"6. After execution of above commands Win7_32's WIM file will be the universal WIM file that contains all version of Windows 7. You can export only desired versions into the image. For example you could make a Windows 7 DVD, which includes Windows 7 Ultimate x86 and x64 version only.

7. Now to make bootable DVD image... "

?? where's the rest? what to do with the config utility? I know how to build/burn...unless there's some special mojo that needs to be done, but what happened to the other steps?

 

[Brink]

You could use a free program like ImgBurn with it's "Write files/folders to disc" feature to create a bootable DVD with the extracted files from step 6.

 

[ChanMyay]

Great Idea! Very Impressive!

 

[zapp22]

You could use a free program like ImgBurn with it's "Write files/folders to disc" feature to create a bootable DVD with the extracted files from step 6.

no my question was about the ei config utility - tutorial says to download that as one would need it, but then never mentions again. what I have done while waiting is to simply delete the ei.cfg file. will that suffice? otherwise, I'm ready to give it a go

 

[Britton30]

no my question was about the ei config utility - tutorial says to download that as one would need it, but then never mentions again. what I have done while waiting is to simply delete the ei.cfg file. will that suffice? otherwise, I'm ready to give it a go

It's above the DL link.

The ei.cfg Removal Utility is a standalone portable app, and requires no installation. In fact, the program does not have much of a user interface at all. Simply selecting the target Windows 7 ISO, and the disc image (ISO) will be patched right away. So make sure a backup copy of your ISO is created beforehand.

 

[zapp22]

hmm.. so my work is no good.
am I the only one with a regimented serial-logic brain ... we have steps 1. through n... but nowhere after the number 1. is there instruction to run the ei tool....

so I'm assuming that the right order is to copy all the data off the DVD's [in my case] and place that in folders, just like he says, but then to run the tool and point the tool at the folders, one at a time, to toggle the bit? after that is done, to the export function, rename the folder to whatever, then burn the iso.
if I'm wrong someone pls correct me...

then, since I was running ahead to create an iso - I have used Imgburn for years and never had any issue making iso images. now when I run the latest version, it first detects that the folder is for an iso creation, then it tells me to backup and select the option to make it bootable, after which I get an error saying "you have not selected a file to make bootable".... I'm just busted. tried googling about to see what the issue is but no luck so far. maybe I'll try ultraiso.
... today I feel like a total imbecile

 

[Britton30]

The ei.cfg Removal Utility is used against the .iso file. Or your method of unpacking the iso and deleting or renaming it, ex. ei.cgf.bak, should work too.

 

[zapp22]

The ei.cfg Removal Utility is used against the .iso file. Or your method of unpacking the iso and deleting or renaming it, ex. ei.cgf.bak, should work too.

ok. thx

another thing I've never seen: i've used the windows usb utility a lot: after running the ei.cfg utility tool on one of the iso's I extracted using WinRAR, the windows USB creation tool says "not a vaild iso"....
I took it from a known good disc. just used the disc twice in last few days... excellent.
any idea? is the tool looking for the ei data?

 

[zapp22]

ah... got it. figure out the imgburn methods, and got a good composite image. win usb tool now building.
thanks for the help

 

[Britton30]

Good news Zapp. I think there should be something here on how to extract the iso from a DVD or download one. Maybe I missed it.

 

[zapp22]

I'm testing it out now and works great. so nice to be able to cleanup my pile of images

 

[southern]

I have a question on creating the Universal Disk here. I have access to Microsoft Volume Licensing site and I have keys for the OS's on that site. I want to make a Universal Disk to be able to install both the systems I am licensed for and for repair work on customers computer for the systems they are licensed for. I have downloaded the Windows 7 Pro ISO in both 32 and 64 bit versions. I have followed the information on this about making the Universal Disk, but when I examined the install.wim file, it only shows that it has the Pro version and non of the others.

Should the ISO's from Microsoft's own VL center have all the items included in the ISO? I have access to the Pro and Enterprise ISO's on this site. I understand that the Enterprise is totally different and it does not include the others. Thanks in advance.

 

[Chiumiento]

Is is possible to do this with windows 8. I know this is not the Eight forums. But I did not know where to put this on the eight forums. I would like to do this is possible but with windows 8 on a USB drive.

 

[SIW2]

Yes, the same way.

You need the install media which contains install.wim. (MSDN/Technet editions of the iso)

The thing from download/upgrade assistant is no use.